<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>^<^> .....................Catt's Claws # 84 December 3, 1995...................... ..................... A Feminist Newsletter by Irene Stuber...................... ................................................................................ To subscribe: email >listserv@Netcom.com< and in the body of the note type >subscribe Catts-Claws and your full name< -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The sad tale of Lydia Allen and her two sons ended this past November. Matt, 13, died of AIDS complications. Lydia had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion while she was pregnant with Matt. She died earlier as did her oldest son, Bryan. Still living - and as far as we know AIDS-Free - is the father who lost his job as a youth minister in Colorado when he sought consolation from his pastor about his wife's illness. The Allens then moved away from the Promise Keeper bastion in Colorado back to Texas. Texas churches refused Matt into their Sunday School, even the church that Matt's grandfather headed. Well Matt's dead now; they're all dead now so maybe the good christians in Colorado and Texas who turned their good christian backs on sick children and their sick mother can get on with their celebration of Christmas with a pure heart: peace on earth and good will to ... May you all rot in hell. ....................... * ........................ IN MEMORIA On December 6, 1989, at the University of Montreal's school of engineering, fourteen women were murdered in cold blood by a lone gunman. They were all shot because they were women. The killer shouted obscenities during his rampage, "You're all fucking feminists. You're women, you're going to be engineers. I hate feminists, I'm against feminism. That's why I'm here." Mark Lapine, 25, left a suicide note which listed women enemies. Genevieve Bergeron, age 21 Helene Colgan, age 23 Nathalie Croteau, age 23 Barbara Daigneault, age 22 Anne-Marie Edward, age 21 Maud Haviernick, age 29 Barbara Maria Klucznik, age 31 Maryse Laganiere, age 25 Maryse Leclair, age 23 Anne-Marie Lemay, age 27 Sonia Pelletier, age 28 Michele Richard, age 21 Annie St-Arneault, age 23 Annie Turcotte, age 21 As you go about your day, your week, your year, never forget these women, never forget that violence against all women is endemic to the world in which we live and the ONLY way we can stop it is by making ourselves strong. We must never rest until we have made EVERY woman STRONG in herself to be safe from the threat and fear of being assaulted, raped, battered, mutilated, or murdered because she is a woman. On this day please remember the women of Montreal, and remember all of the women - including the millions of girl babies who die EVERY YEAR in India, China, and Africa because they are born female. Verily, if we women do not object to these murders, why should the men? A movement is underway in many parts of Canada to use the December 6 massacre as the rallying cry for concerted action against sexual harrassment in colleges which has become epidemic - again. If your college is involved or wants to get involved with this North American movement for the protection of women, let us know at Catt's Claws. ....................... * ........................ Oh, watch for BIG contributions to the anti-Clinton forces ....................... The Freeport-McMoRan Copper, a subsidiary of New Orleans-based Freeport-McMoRan Inc., had gross sales of $1.2 billion last year. Indonesia where Freeport has a huge operation, has complained that the company is dumping toxic mining refuse into local waters. Holding fast to its commitment to the environment, the Clinton administration had the Overseas Private Investment Corp., (the federal agency that provides insurance for U.S. companies abroad which the Reps in Congress ain't hatcheting), terminate the $100 million policy for Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Co. Inc., according to the _Los Angeles Times_. It marks the first time OPIC has cut off insurance to an American company for environmental or human rights reasons, the Times said. President Clinton stared the Reps in the eye, objected to the Middle East peace process "should not be held hostage" by the Republican Congress - and Sens. Dole and Helms backed down and endorsed the $500 million in assistance to the Palestinians over five years. It is considered a key element of the Middle East peace process. By the way, Helms is blocking the confirmation of about 15 ambassadorial appointees and ratification of several treaties (including one governing the dismantling of nuclear weapons), and a number of other Republican Senators are blocking the ratification of dozens and dozens of other Clinton administration appointees to a myriad of domestic posts in one of the worst spoiled brat displays this country has ever seen. ....................... * ........................ The New Hampshire high school English teacher whose job was put in jeopardy by her decision to teach books with gay characters in them was fired by her school board Sept. 25. Penny Culliton has appealed. The books were "Maurice," by E.M. Forster and "The Education of Harriet Hatfield," by May Sarton. Her principal had told her that the school board did not want books with gay characters in them to be used at the school. The New Hampshire chapter of the National Education Association is providing Culliton with an attorney. The NEA says the dismissal is about homophobia and the school board (how can they keep a straight face?) claims it is about insubordination. The books had been purchased by the school. According to the P.E.R.S.O.N. Project, about 40 high school students were suspended for walking out of class to protest Culliton's firing. ....................... * ........................ Texas now has 407 people on death row, including six women, and they are served by two COMPETING newspapers (which is more diversity than most cities have). Earlier this year, according to AP, James Beathard editor of one of the death row papers said the following about inmate Samuel Hawkins who was executed for raping and stabbing to death a pregnant 19-year-old girl: "His personality made him difficult to get along with, but there were people on the outside who did care about him when he died." Beathard is said to work hard at finding good things to say in the obituaries. ....................... * ........................ The sleuths who root out damaging e-mail from computer memories also advise companies on how to reduce their own vulnerability. Some tips on e-mail etiquette from Computer Forensics Inc. of Seattle: --Ask yourself: Would I want a jury to read this e-mail? --Be polite. Make sure short messages don't come across as brusque or curt. --Don't send offensive jokes or frivolous messages. --Don't write anything you wouldn't want repeated. E-mail can be forwarded to hundreds of people, in and out of a company. Experts also say that one of the reasons for so many flames and filth on the Internet usenets is that most avid computer users often are male, young, and socially inexperienced. "The very guys who are most inclined to say stupid things are the most technically proficient," attorney Michael Patrick says. "They love to get on the computer. It's a 'let's go to the secret clubhouse' mentality," according to a news article by Associated Press. The latest "secret clubhouse" to be brought to the light of public scrutiny is that of the Cornell-four who posted far and wide "75 reasons why women shouldn't have the right of free speech." College women, in particular went ballistic and protested in such numbers that it is rumored that Cornell's computer system went down more than once and the president's email was answered with a standard disclaimer. The boyz' hands were gently tapped by Cornell and one of their fathers defended their right to free speech. Seems that the right to defend and encourage the rape of women is protected under free speech but racial slurs are not. If fact, the father is making all sorts of noise about suing the people who reposted the Cornell-four filth. Well, he can't but it's another attempt to shut women up by intimidation. (Can you imagine being married to that jerk!!!! and having that boy as a son? UGH!) Thank GAWD (God, a Woman Deity) the women in college are beginning to act like the feisty young girls they once were until they were forced in high school to hide their feelings so the poor dainty boyz' egos wouldn't get bruised. They are so dainty. These angry college women and their refusal to kowtow is where the feminist movement is heading. There is a GREAT DEAL of ANGER out there. As Catt's Claws has said over and over and over again, we do not favor censorship, but we do favor the boyz having their names and their photographs, etc., made public. If you are going to do it boyz, be women enough to sign your names? Or as I said the last time, wear your shit on your face when it comes out of your mouth. ....................... * ........................ "...People tend to perceive women and men as equal participants in conversations when women do about 25% of the talking, but perceive women as taking over when their participation rises modestly above that. In other words, the default is for women to participate very little and it doesn't take much above that to create the impression that women are doing all the talking." Is this from Sally Cline and Dale Spender's _Reflecting Men at Twice Their Natural Size_. London: Deutsch, 1978? ....................... * ........................ Varda Ullman Novick writes: "I heard Congresswoman Pat Schroeder on a talk show in L.A. this morning, saying that Newt should win the Academy Award for Crybaby of the Year, and that Bob Dole looked like he was "weaned from a pickle." ....................... * ........................ A number of readers wrote to say the punchy "surveys" that we quoted in our last CC was from the short-lived documentary series called TV NATION, which was produced by Michael Moore. Yes, we miss the wit of that show. The wasteland of American TV is beyond reproach. How can it not be? It's beyond watching. ....................... * ........................ Send reply to: Jill S Small "We are working with colleagues in India who are bringing an important rape case to court, involving the state of Rajastan. "At this point in the trial, they are reviewing forensic evidence. Because the evidence was not collected until some time after the rape, there is now trouble over the interpretation of the data. "Our colleagues are asking for help from gynecologists or forensic scientists or lawyers who specialize in working with rape cases for some consultation on the details of the evidence as it was collected. "Can anyone here help or does anyone know someone who can?" ....................... * ........................ We seem to be putting a slightly wrong twist on the sentencing of a 13- year-old girl for murders she committed in Texas when she was 12, so let's just quote S. Lundgren: "You had the right info (but not quite). The reasoning behind it is this. She was tried as a juvenile and will go to juvenile detention. When she turns 18, she will go before a judge who will evaluate her and her case. If she is determined sufficiently rehabilitated, she will be released. If not, she will be sent to adult prison to finish her sentence. This is the way it works with all juvenile cases." We see the problem now. The newspaper accounts we read did not state she was being tried in juvenile court and that her sentence was as a juvenile. We wonder if Texas is giving this poor child any treatment ... ....................... * ........................ Sorry for the long hiatus between the last CC issue and this (11-19-95 and 12-03-95) - too much work, too little energy, and an out-of-town trip. ....................... * ........................ For those of you who might be new on the various usenets, may we respectfully warn you to NOT reply to some of those "questionnaires," especially those which can not have easily verified as authentic. A lot of guys get their jollies by doing things like the following: The giveaway is that he claims to be doing a graduate study but doesn't have a dot edu (.edu) account "Have you ever been stalked? Do you know someone who has been? I am a researcher from ----school and I am doing a study on stalkers and their victims. It is vital that victims of stalking participate in this confidential study. This study will center on a four page questionnaire focusing on different aspects of this hateful crime. To participate, or if you have any questions regarding this study, please contact me at anti-stalk@aol.com. Thank you." As the person who sent this to me remarked: notice the stalking reporter is remaining anonymous." FYI, AOL.com accounts are free for the first month with the free disks they send out like popcorn and there's absolutely no way to trace the buggers who sign on and start this kind of nonsense. AOL, by the way, decided to ban the use of the word "breast" as obscene. They pulled the ban back when the members of the Breast Cancer forum objected but how far we don't know because we dropped AOL a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago. Their latest action is absolutely disgusting, unheard of, vile, nasty... and perfectly in keeping with the AOL prexy's statement that he doesn't worry about women on AOL because all they want to do is gossip and shop ... to have judged that a basic part of a woman's body is obscene. This man has a PROBLEM !!!! Why penalize a woman for what a bunch of guys do? Why not yank the guys off AOL for using obscenitites if you think you have to censor ... and then who decides to censor what? This censorship of the word "breast" (GAWD help you if you like the white meat of a turkey) is a prime example of what is wrong with censorship of any sort. Maybe if a bunch of women vote with their checkbooks, AOL might wake up ... What else have they censored? Obviously not stalkers. ....................... * ........................ Colleen Muldoon, 35, quit as a bricklayer after eight years. "I got sick of having to prove myself every day." As one who goes out of her way to hire women to do repair work around the house (they are cleaner, safer, and do the job with more concern for the permanency) I wish more women were in the trades. The Clinton administration (have you read this in your local paper) is spending $1.5 million to help women and minorities train for nontraditional, high paying occupations. A 1994 report found that women held 108,000 construction jobs. The average union bricklayer, for example, makes $23.68 cents an hour. One highly placed union representative joked "It's hell on their nails." Muldoon said the problem wasn't the work but the emotional challenges of working with men who "don't always welcome women." Federal and state laws require construction firms to try to have women comprise at least 6.9 percent of their work force. But many union heads and company owners said that's a difficult goal to achieve. No wonder when the union representatives (whose salaries are paid by women workers as well as men) act in such disgustingly brutish ways that encourage sexual harassment. Such churlishness. Such cowardly WORMTS! How can they call themselves men? These are the actions of spoiled brats who are in insult to decent men. Why aren't you decent men doing about the brats in your midst? ....................... * ........................ A new French conservative government (as might be elected in the U.S. next November if we don't get off our butts and do campaigning) brought 20 to 40,000 demonstrators into the streets carrying banners proclaiming, "Hands off our right to abortion -- it's for women to decide, not the Pope," and, "Our bodies belong to us." U.S. type anti-abortionists have invaded France with the same kind of violence and harassment of women we have here and women are scared that the new government will take away their human rights. Abortion has been legal in France, and reimbursed under the state health plan, since 1975. ....................... * ........................ Time for your monthly breast exam - remember, the breast you examine is the one you want to keep. Just consider us your health buddy ... One in eight women in our country will develop breast cancer during her lifetime, compared to one in 20 a generation ago. And 46,000 American women will die of breast cancer this year. Have you had your yearly mammogram for 1995? ....................... * ........................ WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government released court records suggesting a political group known as GOPAC spent heavily on House Speaker Newt Gingrich during his 1990 re-election battle, thereby violating federal law. GOPAC has maintained it did not help any national candidates before 1991. A tape recording from a 1990 GOPAC meeting quotes one of the group's officials as estimating support for Gingrich at more than $250,000 a year. "My understanding is those expenses were for legal travel and strategy and planning expenses," said Gingrich spokeswoman Lauren Sims. "This was not for campaign support." This particular item was not published in a lot of newspapers for obvious reasons - hereabouts because the newspapers are owned by one of the most rabid of anti-Clinton people you'll never want to be in the same state with. Him got him itsy-bitsy feeling huht because him thought the Clintons should pay homage to him ... another Republican cry-baby. So - if you read the article before and cursed and did nothing, here is a second chance. If you're reading it for the first time, don't wait - none of you. Get on the schtick. Remember this is your country. DEFEND IT ! Write your congressional representative and DEMAND a special prosecutor be appointed IMMEDIATELY. I can't remember the ethics committee chair's name, but it's a woman and she has been leaning towards a special prosecutor. With all the confusion that Newtsy has been INTENTIONALLY putting the House and the U.S. through lately in order to hide his sins ... not only should he be investigated, but he should be impeached for being a dirty piglet slopping around people's rights. Write the Democratic minority leader, the Hon. Richard Gephardt, Rm. 1226 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, email GEPHARDT@HR.HOUSE.GOV. If you have nothing else to do you could write the Hon. Newt Gingrich, Rm. 2428 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, email GEORGIA6@HR.HOUSE.GOV and politely ask him to resign and save the taxpayers money for his jail time. (Remember to be polite ! He might cry.) Or email the Democratic Leader's Office, H204 U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. 20515, email DEMLDR@HR.HOUSE.GOV and ask them to wake up. ....................... * ........................ Women's rights are young and tender and we must protect them from the plagues of holy hypocrisy and newts. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- >>> Send your ideas, comments, and news to istuber@cswnet.com for inclusion in the Catt's Claws feminist newsletter which will be emailed three times a week: Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. This is NOT an interactive discussion net but an exchange of information and is NOT sponsored by any organization. We are accepting *limited* donations (only what can be spared) to help offset the online costs of posting Catt's Claws. Irene Stuber. PO Box 6185, Hot Springs, AR 71902.<<<<